By Amin Kef Sesay
The 10th September 2021 marked another milestone in the relationship between the Sierra Leone Road Safety Authority (SLRSA) and the Sierra Leone Brewery Limited (SLBL) as the two entities renewed their long standing partnership agreement on Drink Driving and Responsible Consumption of Alcohol through the signing of another partnership.
The signing ceremony took place at the SLRSA Conference Room in Freetown and was done by SLRSA’s Deputy Executive Director, James Bagie Bio and Albert Ojo Collier, the Corporate Relations Manager of SLBL.
The extension of the partnership is expected to run for another one (1) year and will cover outstanding campaigns from the previous plans to be covered and create more awareness on responsible consumption and sober driving.
It could be recalled that in 2013, the Sierra Leone Brewery Limited joined the road safety bandwagon through the signing of a partnership agreement geared towards combating drink driving and promote responsible consumption of alcohol among road users and provided well over 1000 breathalyzers to the SLRSA for the testing of drunk drivers.
According to the signed partnership the two institutions will draw up projects that will not only require funding but also non direct funding aspects. Amongst such projects will include: to implement the use of non-reusable breathalysers, plastic non reusable tips, Ethyway Electronic Ethytest breathalyser to be given to the SLRSA (and to provide adequate training where needed on the use of the breathalysers for SLRSA Traffic Wardens).
Another will be to conduct a baseline study to ascertain the number of drink driving cases in the city through random sampling in key prone areas using disposable breathalysers, print a good number of adhesive stickers, awareness T-shirts, create jingles and banners for the campaign.
The two will be engaging target groups through radio and TV discussion programs (SLRSA Hour on SLBC TV and Radio and five other radio stations in the country including Bo, Kenema and Makeni), to do mass sensitization on drink driving in major car parks, Bike rider stations with banners and PA system and the distribution of bumper stickers to commercial motor drivers, commercial bike riders, bus stations, bars/ consumers amongst other.
It was also agreed that comprehensive reports will be drafted by SLRSA during the partnership and at the end of the partnership to evaluate the value of the partnership, measure its impact and ensure that it is recognized.
